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Trivium: In the Studio

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The metalcore monsters return to a simpler approach on their upcoming record.

For their forthcoming fourth studio album, Trivium will move forward by looking back. The group will forego the complex epic compositions, tricked-out leads and seven-string guitars that characterized its past two albums and take an approach similar to that of its second album, 2005’s Ascendancy, by using uncluttered riffs, drop-D tuning and more straightforward solos.

“When we did Ascendancy, we were writing specifically for the songs, not to show how well we could play,” says frontman and guitarist Matt Heafy. “That wasn’t exactly the case with our next two records.”

Adds Heafy’s co-guitarist, Corey Beaulieu, “We’re making sure every part in every song needs to be there and is super-catchy and doesn’t go over people’s heads.”

Trivium began writing the new album in late 2008 and composed more than 30 songs while on tour in 2009. But things didn’t really start to come together until this past February, when they replaced founding drummer Travis Smith with Nick Augusto, a more articulate and harder-hitting player. “Nick likes extreme drumming and can do a lot of double bass,” Beaulieu says. “Combining our style of riffs with his playing gives the songs a new energy and heaviness.”

Earlier this year, following their tour, Trivium locked themselves in their Orlando, Florida, practice space and fine-tuned 17 of the new songs. They demoed the album in late July and August, and plan to start recording it on September 27 at Audio Hammer Studios in Sanford, Florida, with veteran producer Colin Richardson.

More than 18 months into the process, Heafy is as excited as when he wrote the album’s first riffs. “The record will feature some of our most minimalistic and most brutal moments,” he says. “It’s gonna go way beyond what people think metal is or can be.”